Can you automate Trello boards?

Automating Trello Boards with Butler

Trello's built-in automation system, Butler, provides no-code automation for cards, lists, and boards. As of April 2026, Butler is available on all Trello plans: Free (limited to 50 command runs/month per workspace member), Standard (200/month), Premium (1,000/month), and Enterprise (unlimited).

Automation Types

Rules

Rules trigger automatically when a specific event occurs:

• When a card is moved to list "Done", mark the due date as complete and add a green label
• When a card is assigned to a member, move it to the "In Progress" list
• When a checklist is completed, move the card to "Review"

Card Buttons

Custom buttons that appear on individual cards and execute a sequence of actions:

• "Start Work" button: Move card to "In Progress", set due date to 3 days from now, assign self
• "Escalate" button: Add red label, move to "Urgent" list, post comment mentioning team lead

Board Buttons

Buttons on the board toolbar that perform bulk operations:

• "Archive Done" button: Archive all cards in the "Done" list
• "Reset Sprint" button: Move all cards back to "Backlog" and remove all due dates

Calendar Commands

Scheduled automations that run on a recurring basis:

• Every Monday at 9 AM, sort the "To Do" list by due date
• Every Friday at 5 PM, move all cards without a due date to "Needs Planning"

Due Date Commands

Actions that trigger relative to card due dates:

• 2 days before due date, add yellow "Due Soon" label
• On the due date, post a comment reminding the assigned member
• 1 day after due date, move card to "Overdue" list

Butler Command Examples

Butler uses a natural language-style command syntax:

• "When a card is moved to list Done by anyone, mark the due date as complete"
• "Every day at 9:00 AM, find cards in list To Do with no members and post comment @team please assign"

Third-Party Automation

Trello also integrates with external automation platforms:

• Zapier — Trello triggers and actions for cross-app workflows
• Make — Trello module for multi-step scenarios
• Power-Ups — Third-party extensions that add automation features

Automation Limits